The word \u2018security\u2019 means the activities involved in protecting a country, building or person against attack, danger, and so on while a security guard is a person whose job is to guard money, valuables, building, etc. Another security terminology or expression is \u2018vigilante\u2019 meaning a member of a group of people who try to prevent crime or punish criminals in their community, especially because they think the police are not doing it properly.<\/p>\n

The security guard and the vigilante perform complementary role to the police. They play important role in ensuring peace and security in our communities. Peace and security are a sine qua non<\/em> for the achievement of meaningful development without which investors will be scared. Without peace and security, no country, state or community can attract investors.<\/p>\n

In some cases, the security guard or the vigilante work with the police or other armed security agents to maintain peace and security in the communities as well as rid the society of criminals and crimes. Some of these security guards and vigilante members are well disciplined and perform their duties fearlessly and effectively that they need to be encouraged to do more. They deserve to be given encouragement.<\/p>\n

For instance, in Rivers State, we are all aware that the government\u2019s amnesty programme has yielded positive result in terms of reducing cult activities and kidnapping but there are some pockets of crime the vigilante groups can be employed to assist the society.<\/p>\n

Recently, in the Costain area of Lagos State, security guards foiled an armed robbery attempt. The suspected robbery gang reportedly armed with cutlasses and knives, among other weapons, were prevented by security guards from robbing residents of the Otumara\/Ilaje community while their leader was arrested. Although the suspected robbers unleashed terror on the security guards, one of them that escaped from the scene called for reinforcement and the chief security officer of the community and other guards moved to the area.<\/p>\n

A resident of the area told journalists that the security of the community had recently been beefed up through vigilante group and security guards to forestall robbery attacks. If well organised, security guards and vigilante groups can effectively intensify surveillance at every nook and cranny of their community and make the people live peacefully.<\/p>\n

While some security guards and vigilante groups might be good, others are bad eggs. Also recently, two estate security guards were allegedly arrested for stealing drugs estimated at N56 million with three other workers of a pharmaceutical company in Lagos. On interrogation, all the suspects confessed to the crime and revealed that the nefarious act had been going on since. An Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), while condemning the crime, urged industrialists, businessmen and women to carry out security checks on intending employees. It is understood that the likes of those security guards are also in the police force and other security agencies.<\/p>\n

This is a wake-up call not only to industrialists and others, who employ the services of security guards and vigilante personnel. They must ensure that anyone employed is thoroughly scrutinized and confirmed to be living up to expectation to get the best from them.<\/p>\n

This is why it has become imperative that the activities of private security firms and vigilante groups should be coordinated, supervised and monitored. It is also for this reason that the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, deemed it necessary to disband all vigilante groups in the state.<\/p>\n

As the state steps out of the cultism and kidnap challenges to a post-cultism era, there is need to organise special programmes to coordinate activities of private security guards and vigilante groups and mandate a legitimate law enforcement agency to supervise and monitor their activities. By so doing, they will ensure that the operators of private security firms and vigilante groups comply with laid down laws.<\/p>\n

Recently, the Yobe State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), for the first time, did a similar thing in Damaturu when it brought together stakeholders in private security firms to ensure that they abide by the rules regulating private security operations in Nigeria. The security of lives and properties is a cardinal objective of government and, like the NSCDC, the private security guards and vigilante groups can work in collaboration with other security agencies to actualize this objective.<\/p>\n

In Rivers State, the NSCDC or the police should liaise with the government to sensitise vigilante groups on recruitment of members, mode of operation and their limitations to ensure that they operate within the confines of the law. They should discuss with the state government on the activities of the vigilante groups and their operation within the provisions of the law to avoid abuse.<\/p>\n

It is, therefore, important to urge private security firms and vigilante groups to be mindful of those they employ or engage and ensure that people of good standing in the society guarantee them to avoid recruiting questionable characters. The activities of private security guards and vigilante groups must be looked at on a wider perspective and a regulating body must be put in place to review their activities.<\/p>\n

Anybody engaged in the security of lives and properties must place the people and the country above personal interest while discharging their duties. To provide adequate security, operatives must be dedicated and committed to their duties just as the public should provide security agencies with timely information on security threats and suspicious movements of persons in their communities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shedie Okpara<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The word \u2018security\u2019 means the activities involved in protecting a country, building or person against attack, danger, and so on while a security guard is a person whose job is to guard money, valuables, building, etc. Another security terminology or expression is \u2018vigilante\u2019 meaning a member of a group of people who try to prevent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n